The Price of Passion with Don Barden, Ph.D.

Companion to the MaxLife episode with Don Barden

Leadership expert Don Barden says when you're stuck in 'hell,' the gates are locked from the inside, and getting out starts with an honest look back at the decision that built the walls.

▶ Watch the full episode with Don Barden for deeper context on how to approach these questions

Name The Hell

Without trying to fix it yet, just describing it plainly, what's the situation that feels most stuck right now, the one you keep circling and never actually get through?

Accept It, Don't Defend It

Don says the painful part isn't the truth, it's defending the truth. What's the honest thing about this situation you keep explaining away instead of just accepting?

The thing I keep defending instead of just accepting is ___.

The Lock You Installed

Run Don's audit: look back over the last 30, 60, 90 days. Giving yourself credit that it made sense at the time, what specific decision, habit, or thing you avoided quietly built the walls you're standing in now?

Convinced Or Compelled

Don says you can be totally convinced something is bad for you and still not feel pushed to actually change it. Be honest about where you are on this one, then write the single thing that would tip you from 'I know I should' into 'I'm actually doing it.'

Not even convinced yetConvinced, but not movingStarting to feel compelledCompelled, ready to act

The Real Problem Under It

Don says a bad habit isn't the problem, it's a solution to a problem underneath it. What is this stuck thing quietly doing for you, what's it letting you avoid feeling or facing? Once you can see that, what's the one step out?

Don says almost everyone is convinced of what they should change, but few are compelled enough to do it, so they wait until things get desperate. You don't have to wait for desperate. What you wrote in 05 is your door. Walk through before something forces you to.

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